We
do not need any high qualifications to offer prayers to the Supreme personality
of Godhead. Whatever our social or intellectual position may be, we can offer
prayers. We do not have to be very learned or very scholarly, nor do we have to
present our prayers in nicely selected words that are poetical, rhetorical or
metaphorical. None of this is required, although if it is there it is very nice.
We simply have to express our feelings, but in order to be able to do this we
have to be aware of our position. Once we are aware of our position, our
feelings can be expressed sincerely and automatically.

What
is our position? This has been taught by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who teaches
us how to pray in his prayer:

"O
almighty Lord! I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor have I any desire to
enjoy beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. What I want only
is that I may have Your causeless devotional service in my life--birth after
birth." (Siksastaka 4 )

In
this prayer the word jagadisa means "Lord of the universe." Jagat
means universe, and isa means Lord. Whether we are Hindu, Moslem or Christian or
whatever, we must acknowledge that there is a supreme controller of this
universe. This cannot be denied by anyone who has faith in God. Our conviction
should be that our Supreme Father is Jagadisa, or Lord of the entire universe.
Only Lord Jagadisa is in control; everyone else is controlled. The atheists,
however, do not like this term because they like to think that they are in
control, but actually this is not the case. All beings in the material world are
subject to the three modes of material nature--goodness, passion and
ignorance--but the Supreme Lord is above these modes.

"Deluded
by the three modes (goodness, passion, and ignorance), the whole world does not
know Me who am above them and inexhaustible." (Bg. 7.13)

The
Brahma-samhita also gives us information regarding Jagadisa, the Supreme. In
that work, Lord Brahma says that the supreme controller is Lord Krsna Himself (isvarah
paramah krsnah). The word isvarah means controller, and the word paramah means
supreme. All of us are controllers to some limited extent. If we have nothing to
control, sometimes we keep a dog or cat so we can say, "My dear dog, please
come here." In this way we can think, "I am the controller."
Sometimes the tables turn, however, and we find that the dog controls the
master. This happens because actually no one is the controller, and everyone is
controlled. Unfortunately we are forgetful of this situation, and this
forgetfulness is called maya. We refuse to accept any controller of this
universe because if we accept a controller we have to account for our sinful
activities, just as when we accept the government we have to account for our
unlawful activities. Our position is that we want to continue in our sinful
activities, and therefore we deny the existence of a controller. This is the
basic principle of godlessness. The current propaganda that "God is
dead" is spread because people want to continue being rascals without
restriction. This is the basic principle underlying the denial of God`s
existence. But however much we deny His existence, He will not die. In this
regard, there is a Bengali proverb that says: sakuni sape gorumarana. The word
sakuni means vulture. Vultures enjoy dead animal carcasses, especially the
carcass of the cow. Sometimes a vulture may go for days without a carcass;
therefore this proverb says that the vulture curses the cow, wishing him to die.
But this does not mean that the cow will die just to oblige the vulture.
Similarly, these atheistic vultures want to see God dead so they can take
pleasure in thinking, "Now God is dead, and I can do anything I like."

We
must know then for certain that there is a controller; that is the beginning of
knowledge. Why should we deny this truth? In every field of activity we find
some finite controller, so how can we deny the existence of an infinite
controller in this creation? It is not without reason therefore that Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu particularly uses this word Jagadisa, Lord of the universe.
He does not manufacture the term, for it is found in many different Vedic
mantras. For instance:

"O
my Lord, Your hands are very beautiful, like the lotus flower, but with Your
long nails You have ripped apart the wasp Hiranyakasipu. Unto You, Lord of the
universe, do I offer my humble obeisances."

Hiranyakasipu
was an atheist who denied the existence of God, but God came as Lord Nrsimhadeva,
a half-man, half-lion incarnation, and killed him. Therefore praise is given to
the Lord as supreme controller of the universe and all living entities (jaya
jagadisa hare).

There
is also another prayer: jagannatha-svami nayana-patha-gami bhavatu me: "O
Lord of the universe, please be visible unto me." In all these prayers, and
in many others, the supreme controller of the universe is acknowledged. Everyone
is trying to become supreme controllers, but it is not possible by individual,
communal or national effort. Because everyone is trying to be supreme, there is
great competition in the world. The world is created in such a way, however,
that no one can become supreme. Regardless of what position we place ourselves
in, we will find that someone is inferior to us and that someone is superior. No
one individual can say, "I am the supreme. No one is above me." Nor
can anyone say, "I am the most inferior. No one is below me." Once we
think that we are the most inferior, we`ll immediately find that someone is
inferior to us; and once we think that we are supreme, we`ll immediately find
someone superior. This is our position.

God`s
position, however, is not like this. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna asserts His
superiority Himself in this way:

"O
conqueror of wealth (Arjuna), there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests
upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread." (Bg. 7.7)

God
is asamaurdhva, which means that no one is equal to or superior to Him. If we
find someone who has no superior, we can accept him as God. God can be defined
as one who has no superior and who has no equal. This is the Vedic version. In
the Upanisads it is said, na tat samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate: no one is found
equal to or greater than Him.

Another
characteristic of God is that He has nothing to do. In the material world, when
a man is considered very important, he always has a great number of things to
do. The President of the United States, for instance, is considered to be the
supreme man in the country, but as soon as there is some disturbance in Central
Europe or in any other place in the world, he immediately has to call a meeting
of his cabinet to consider how to deal with the situation. So even he is
required to do so many things. If he does not do anything, he is no longer the
supreme man. In Vedic literatures, however, we find that God has nothing to do (na
tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate). Krsna may act in so many ways in the world,
but it is not because He is required to do so. This is indicated in
Bhagavad-gita.

"O
son of Prtha, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary
systems. Neither am I in want of anything, nor have I the need to obtain
anything--and yet I am engaged in work." (Bg. 3.22)

In
this respect it is interesting to note that one European gentleman, who went to
Calcutta and visited several temples, noted that in the temple of the goddess
Kali, the deity had a very ferocious figure, with a chopper in hand, and was
cutting off the heads of demons and wearing them as garlands. In other temples
he saw the deity engaged in similar activities, but when he came to the
Radha-Krsna temple, he said, "I find that in this temple there is
God." When asked how he concluded this, he said, "In every temple I
saw that the deity was doing something, but here I see that God is simply
playing a flute and enjoying Himself. He obviously has nothing to do." This
is a very intelligent conclusion; indeed, it is the Vedic conclusion.

Nowadays
it is becoming fashionable for people to claim that they are becoming God by
meditation. This means that by meditation it is possible to transform oneself
into God; in other words, God meditates, and by His meditation He becomes God.
This is all nonsense. God is God, and He was always God and will always be God.
Even as an infant on the lap of His mother Krsna is God. No meditation was
required, no austerity or penance. When Putana, the demonic witch, came to
poison Baby Krsna, she came as a beautiful young girl and asked Mother Yasoda,
"Oh, Yasodamayi, you have a very nice baby. Will you kindly give Him to me
so I can nurse Him?" Yasoda was a very simple village woman, and she said,
"Oh yes, you can take my child." Putana had smeared poison on her
breasts, and she intended to kill Krsna by letting Him suck them. This is the
demonic spirit; demons are always wanting to kill Krsna so they can say,
"God is dead. There is no God. God is impersonal." Krsna was so kind
to Putana that He allowed her to nurse Him, but when He sucked her breasts He
not only sucked out the poison but her life as well. Putana fell to the ground
dead and was immediately transformed into her original demonic form. So this is
God; in the lap of His mother He is God. He does not have to become God by
meditation, penance, austerity or by following rules or regulations. He is
substantially and eternally God, and He has nothing to do. If one claims that he
can become God by worshiping such and such a deity or by meditating, we should
immediately take it that he is not a god, but a dog. In understanding God, we
must be careful to accept the Vedic conclusion only: na tasya karyam karanam ca
vidyate: God has nothing to do. Why would God have to do something to become
God? If we manufacture gold, that is artificial gold, not real gold. Gold is
natural, and similarly God is natural. In His childhood pastimes, in the lap of
His mother, He is God; while He is playing with His boyfriends, He is God; while
He is dancing, He is God; while He is fighting at Kuruksetra, He is God; while
He is married to His queens, He is God; and while He is speaking, He is God.
There is no difficulty in understanding God. All that is required of us is that
we listen to Krsna.

"The
living entities in this conditional world are My fragmental parts, and they are
eternal. But due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six
senses, which include the mind." (Bg. 15.7)

In
the Brahma-samhita Lord Brahma explains that if we are looking for God, here is
God.

"I
worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, Who is Syamasundara, Krsna Himself, with
inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart
of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love." (Brahma-samhita
5.38)

There
are similar descriptions everywhere in Vedic literature, but rascals and demons
are so obstinate that even though Krsna is confirmed to be the Supreme God by
the twelve standard acaryas (Brahma, Narada, Siva, Bhisma, the Kumaras, Kapila,
Manu, etc.) and by Vyasa, Devala and many other devotees, they still refuse to
accept Him. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu also confirms that Krsna is the Supreme
Godhead, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam says, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam.
Srimad-Bhagavatam gives a list of all incarnations of God, and at last concludes
that the name Krsna, which appears on this list, indicates the Supreme
personality of Godhead, whereas all other names represent manifestations or
incarnations. Ete camsa-kalah pumsah. All other names of God are either parts of
God or portions of parts. The parts are called amsa, and the portions of parts
are called kalah. As living entities, we are amsa, but we are very fragmental
amsa. All others are either amsa or kalah, but Krsna is bhagavan svayam--the
Supreme personality of Godhead.

Our
prayers should be directed to the Supreme personality of Godhead and none else.
Therefore we pray with Brahma:

"I
worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending the
cows, fulfilling all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by
millions of wish-fulfilling trees, always served with great reverence and
affection by hundreds of thousands of Laksmis, or gopis." (Brahma-samhita
5.29)

Here
Krsna is called the original person (adi-purusam). We are all persons. Our
father is a person, and therefore we are persons. If we trace our father`s
father back, we will find that he was also a person, and that his father was a
person, and so on all the way back to Lord Brahma, who was the first created
person in this universe. Then we will also find that Lord Brahma`s father, Visnu,
is also a person. Everyone is a person, and Krsna is the supreme person. The
impersonalists` understanding of God is called nirarca. Nih means
"negative" and arca means "form," so nirarca means
"negative form." The impersonalists are mistaken when they think that
God has no form at all. The word nirarca does not indicate that He has no form,
but that he has no material form as we do. Form is there, but it is not
material; it is spiritual form.

What
is the value of our form? This form will be changed after a few years, as soon
as we give up the body. Our forms are changed just as we change our suits and
dresses, but God doesn`t have a form like this; therefore He is sometimes called
nirarca. Form is there, and that also has been explained in the Brahma-samhita.
Lord Brahma describes His form in this way:

"I
worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept at playing on His flute, with
blooming eyes like lotus petals, with head bedecked with a peacock`s feather,
with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique
loveliness charming millions of Cupids. I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord,
whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth and substantiality and is thus
full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental
figure possesses, in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and
eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual
and mundane." (Brahma-samhita 5.30,32)

This
form has nothing whatsoever to do with material forms. Impersonalists say,
"Oh, you say Krsna has a form. If so, how can you say that He is the
Supreme? The impersonal Brahman is the Supreme, and the impersonal Brahman is
formless." But we have information from Bhagavad-gita that Krsna is the
source of the impersonal Brahman.

"And
I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal and imperishable,
eternal, the constitutional position of ultimate happiness." (Bg. 14.27)

Krsna
certainly has form, but His form, as stated before, is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha,
eternal, full of bliss, and full of knowledge. The attributes of His
transcendental body are summarized by Lord Brahma in this way:

"Krsna,
who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful
spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the
prime cause of all causes." (Brahma-samhita 5.1)

The
word Govinda means "He who gives pleasure to the senses." We perceive
pleasure through our senses, and therefore Krsna, who is the reservoir of
pleasure, is called Govinda. If we serve Krsna with purified senses, we will
begin to relish the pleasure of that supreme reservoir.

How
can we describe God or understand His glories? It is not possible. God is
unlimited. Regardless of our finite limitations, however, we can express our own
feelings and say, "My God, my Lord." This will be accepted. Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us to pray in this way:

"O
son of Maharaja Nanda, I am Your eternal servitor, and although I am so, somehow
or other I have fallen in the ocean of birth and death. please, therefore, pick
me up from this ocean of death and fix me as one of the atoms at Your lotus
feet." (Siksastaka 5)

This
should be the standard of prayer; we should only want to be placed as one of the
atoms at Krsna`s lotus feet to render service unto Him. Everyone is praying to
God with some interest, but even if we pray to God, "Give me some money,
give me some relief, a nice house, a nice wife, or nice food," that is also
good. Yet this is not to the standard of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu`s prayer. Our
only prayer should be that the Lord enable us to serve Him birth after birth.
Our prayer should be, "Dear Lord, You are so great that I want to engage in
Your service. I have been serving all these rascals, and I am not satisfied. Now
I have come to You. please engage me in Your service." This is the last
word in prayer. Some people complain that when they pray to God they do not feel
His presence. We should know that this is due to our incapacities, not God`s.
There are two conceptions of presence--the physical conception and the
vibrational conception. The physical conception is temporary, whereas the
vibrational conception is eternal. When we enjoy or relish the vibration of
Krsna`s teachings in Bhagavad-gita, or when we chant Hare Krsna, we should know
that by those vibrations He is immediately present. He is absolute, and because
of this His vibration is just as important as His physical presence. When we
feel separation from Krsna or the spiritual master, we should just try to
remember their words of instructions, and we will no longer feel that
separation. Such association with Krsna and the spiritual master should be
association by vibration, not physical presence. That is real association. We
put so much stress on seeing, but when Krsna was present on this earth, so many
people saw Him and did not realize that He is God; so what is the advantage of
seeing? By seeing Krsna, we will not understand Him, but by listening carefully
to His teachings, we can come to the platform of understanding. We can touch
Krsna immediately by sound vibration; therefore we should give more stress to
the sound vibration of Krsna and of the spiritual master--then we`ll feel happy
and won`t feel separation.

From
Srimad-Bhagavatam we understand that when Krsna departed from this world, Arjuna
was overwhelmed with sorrow, but when he began to remember the instructions of
Bhagavad-gita, he became pacified. Arjuna was Krsna`s constant friend, so when
Krsna went to His abode, Arjuna was overwhelmed, but just by remembering His
teachings he got relief from the pains of separation. Thus whenever we feel
separation, it is best to remember the teachings. The teachings of Bhagavad-gita
were imparted to Arjuna for his happiness and for the happiness of all men. This
is indicated by Krsna, at the beginning of the Tenth Chapter, when He says:

"Again,
O mighty-armed Arjuna, listen to My supreme word, which I shall impart to you
for your benefit and which will give you great joy." (Bg. 10.1)

By
hearing the words of Lord Krsna and following them carefully, we will attain not
only peace in the world, but the supreme peace (param santim). All that is
required is that we seek refuge in the lotus feet of Krsna and render service
unto Him by chanting His glories and pushing this Krsna consciousness movement
in every town and village of the world. It is Krsna`s promise that by such
surrender peace and eternal life will come automatically.